ANDREW OLIVER’S SECOND COMMISSION as SECRETARY OF THE PROVINCE OF THE MASSACHUSETTS BAY

    10 April, 1761

    [ANDREW] [SECRETARY] OLIVER[S] [SECRETARY OF MASSACHUSETS BAY] [COMMISSION]

    George the Third by the Grace of God [of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith] &c. To all to whom these presents shall come Greeting

    Whereas Our late Royal Grandfather George the Second of Glorious and happy Memory King of Great Britain &c did by his Letters Patent under his Great Seal of Great Britain bearing date at Westminster the second day of March in the Thirty first year of his Reign Give and Grant unto his Trusty and Welbeloved Andrew Oliver Esquire the Office or Place of Secretary of His Province of Massachusets Bay in New England in America To have hold Exercise and Enjoy the said office or place unto the said Andrew Oliver by himself or his sufficient Deputy or Deputys (for whom he should be answerable) for and during his said Majesty’s Pleasure and his Residence within the said Province with all [Pees] [the] Rights, Profits Priviledges and Advantages whatsoever thereunto belonging as by the said recited Letters Patent (relation being thereunto had) may more fully and at large Appear In which said Office by Virtue of the Statute in such case made and provided he is continued for the space of Six Months from the time of the Demise of His said late Majesty unless he shall by Us be sooner removed and discharged from the said office Now Know Ye that wee have Revoked and Determined and by these presents Do Revoke and Determine the said recited Letters Patent and every clause Article and thing therein contained And further Know Ye that Wee of Our Especial Grace certain Knowledge and mere Motion Have Given and Granted and by these presents Do Give and Grant unto Our Trusty and Welbeloved the said Andrew Oliver Esquire the said office or place of Secretary of Our Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England in America And him the said Andrew Oliver Secretary of Our said Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England in America Wee do Make Ordain and Constitute by these presents To have hold Exe[rcise][cute] and Enjoy the said Office or place unto the said Andrew Oliver by himself or his sufficient Deputy or Deputies (for whom he shall be Answerable) for and during Our Pleasure and his Residence within Our said Province With all Fees Rights Profits Priviledges and Advantages whatsoever thereunto belonging in as full and ample manner as he the said Andrew Oliver or any other Secretary of Our said Province hath formerly held and Enjoyed or of Bight ought to have held and Enjoyed the same In Witness [&c] [whereof We have caused these Our Letters to207 made Patent] Witness Our self at Westminster the [eight &] Tenth [Eight] day of April [in the First Year of Our Reign]

    By Writ of Privy Seal

    [COCKS]

    [The Great Seal of England Appending]

    Public Record Office, Patent Roll, 1 George III, Part 8, No. 38. Compared with the record of Royal Commissions (Crown Commissions, 1628–1663, pp. 209–210) in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.208

    Prov: of Massa

    Bay Novr 26:1761

    Thomas Hutchinson Esqr appointed by his Majesty to be Lieutenant Governor, and Andrew Oliver Esqr appointed to be Secretary of the Province aforesaid severally took the Oaths appointed by Act of Parliament to be taken instead of the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy repeated and Subscribed the Test or declaration therein contained together with the Oath of Abjuration and an Oath that they would respectively faithfully perform the Duties of the respective Offices to which they are appointed as aforesaid according to the best of their Skill and Judgment.

    before me

    FRA BERNARD

    Crown Commissions, 1628–1663, pp. 209–210.

    REPRESENTATION TO HIS MAJESTY WITH A WARRANT TO APPOINT ANDREW OLIVER SECRY OF THE MASSACHUSETS BAY

    G. R.

    Our Will and Pleasure is, that you prepare a Bill for our Royal Signature to pass our Great Seal of Great Britain, containing our Grant of the Office or Place of Secretary of our Province of the Massachusets Bay in New England in America, unto our Trusty, and Wellbeloved Andrew Oliver Esqre To have, hold, exercise, and enjoy the same unto him the said Andrew Oliver, by himself or his sufficient Deputy or Deputies (for whom he shall be answerable) for and during our Pleasure and his residence within Our said Province withall Fees, Rights, Profits Privileges and Advantages whatsoever thereunto belonging in as full and ample manner as he the said Andrew Oliver or any other Secretary of Our said Province, hath heretofore held and enjoyed, or of Right ought to have held and enjoyed the same, And you are to insert in the said Bill a clause for revoking and determining the last Letters Patent, whereby the said Andrew Oliver was constituted Secretary of Our Province of Massachusets Bay aforesaid; And for so doing this shall be your Warrant Given at our Court at St James’s the day of 1761. In the First year of Our Reign.

    By His Majesty’s Command,

    WM PITT.

    To Our Attorney or Sollicitor Genll

    Public Record Office, Colonial Office, Clan 5, Vol. 920, pp. 27–38.